Tennis did not interest me as much as football did. One game of football with my favorite team playing was more than enough for me to leave everything I was doing and plonk myself in front of the TV. But all that changed during the Paris Olympics in August. The greatest sporting spectacle of the Olympics was back after four years in the city of light and I just did not want to miss it. There was so much to see and so much to learn once more. It was tennis at the Olympics and more than that it was Carlos Alcaraz the current tennis sensation and world number one playing for Spain. I wanted to look and I got hooked.

But there was also world number world number two Novak Djokovic also in competition for that much-coveted gold medal. But I was really cheering for him so much in spite of watching his games too. The tournament went on and both champions of the court were on a winning spree. One match after another, they were ruling the court beating big-time players like Rafael Nadal and Tsitsipas. It was the Olympics after all and there was so much to look forward to. The excitement and joy were amazing and I wished I was there at Rolland Garros in Paris watching it all live. But for now, my TV and sometimes my phone was on my tennis court where all the action was happening with my fixed on Alcaraz.

The semifinals arrived and something inside of me kept telling me that the big finale would have Alcaraz and Djokovic pitted against each other on that clay court. They both won their respective semifinal matches and now I was sure that nothing could beat Alcaraz not even Djokovic. Was I wrong or was I just very confident about it? I could not say anything at that time but then time was going to tell everything and time is what we the spectators and the players had. The final was upon us and a clash of the titans was going to happen. Alcaraz was going to get that Olympic gold medal or so I thought. Let’s see what happened next. What happened in Paris?

So, the big day of the finals had arrived. It was August 4, 2024. The day when history would repeat itself of change. The much-awaited match began around 5:30 pm in the evening and I was watching it on my phone. It was interesting right from the beginning and Alcaraz was playing really well. It looked like he was going to win the match and there would be a repeat of Wimbledon in Paris. The early sets went in favor of the young Spaniard but as they say, anything can happen because it is a game. And that is what exactly happened.

As the game progressed well beyond two hours, Djokovic was emerging as he went on to win the last few sets of the match. And in the end, history was finally created when Djokovic won the match and the Olympic gold medal which was the only Grand Slam trophy he did not have. The scene on TV where he fell on the clay court victorious with tears of joy in his eyes and his hands shaking still trying to understand what had happened was just beyond words. Was I disappointed? Yes, I was because my favorite had lost. I could feel his anguish as he was also crying. It was a bit difficult to assimilate what happened but then something happened to me.

After he won the match Djokovic did something very unique and special that I will never forget. He ran through the stands to his proud waiting family and went and hugged his little daughter first. It was a truly beautiful moment and my eyes were fixed on the phone. And suddenly watching that I began to cry and tear up. There was something in that moment that made me feel something inside of me and I was still not such as big Djokovic fan. What happened to me then? Why did I react that way? What made me cry when in the end it was just a game of tennis? I was thinking about this and I finally managed to get some answers. Maybe it was me being alone and neglected when I was growing up and the love and security of a family was not around which I saw right there in someone else’s family. Maybe it was something really personal and intimate that I still crave for in my life. Maybe Djokovic’s family support was something I wanted in my own life. It was confusing at that time but I think I was getting my answers.

That is the magic of sports I guess because there is something in it that will always resonate with you in some way or the other and this happened to me that Sunday evening. Yes, Djokovic in spite of me not being your such a big fan, you stirred those emotions in me. Your victory was my reflection and a look back into my life. He won the gold and Alcaraz won the silver but what I won was this assurance that even if I don’t get the much-needed support I need, I could always be my strength because you never know who is watching you. Thank you, Djokovic, thank you Alcaraz and thank you Olympics.

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